IDE (Integrated Device Electronics) is a computer bus interface for connecting a host bus to a mass storage device, such as a hard disk or a CD ROM. The interface provides for bidirectional communications between the bus and the device. The IDE interface is officially referred to as the ATA (AT Attachment) specification. SATA (Serial ATA), which has now replaced the older AT Attachment standard, offers several advantages over its predecessor, including reduced cable size and cost (seven conductors instead of 40, with data communicated over two pairs of conductors), native hot swapping, faster data transfer through higher signaling rates, and more efficient transfer through an (optional) input/output queuing protocol.
However, currently available SATA technology limits transmission of SATA signals to a few meters. This limitation is due primarily to the losses associated with high-speed digital signals on conventional transmission lines. Prior art techniques for extending transmission distance employ retimers and/or distortion equalizers, but even these techniques have limitations. In practice the use of such devices extend the transmission distance only a few meters.